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Bloom Energy, the secretive Bay Area startup that staged a coming-out party for its fuel cells on “60 Minutes” last year, said this week that it is entering into power-purchase agreements with customers.

“Empowering our customers to buy energy on their terms is another significant way in our journey to change the way energy is generated and consumed around the world,” said the Bloom Chief Executive KR Sridhar.

The goal is to broaden the market for the devices, which convert natural gas or other fuels into electricity through an electrochemical process instead of combustion.

Fuel cells aren’t new — they were part of the Apollo space program — but Sunnyvale-based Bloom says it has revolutionized how they work to make them more efficient and versatile.

They’re expensive, and thus their installation is often subsidized through state funds targeted at reducing greenhouse gases.

With the new program, Bloom will own and operate the fuel cells, while the companies or institutions they make deals with will provide space for them and pay for the electricity they produce.

Bloom says the program, which it calls Bloom Electrons, will allow customers to lock in energy costs and save up to 20 percent over buying the power elsewhere.

Its customers include Walmart, Coca-Cola, Staples and Kaiser Permanente.

“Bloom Energy enables Caltech to more effectively carry out its core mission of research and education by providing cleaner, more economical and predictable power,” said the school’s vice president of finance, Dean Currie, in a statement.